Principles
Before one can begin to understand Gnosticism, an explanation is necessary. First and foremost, Gnosticism is not a religion; it is a source of knowledge that explains how spiritual matters are interconnected. There are no dogmas or doctrines that impose obligations or punishments for non-compliance; this is because there are no rules. Gnosis allows you to gain insight into who God and Christ are—not were, but are. Gnosticism does not subject you to rules; it liberates you from them by following the path of insight and knowledge (gnosis). In Gnosticism, there is no requirement to read books to comply, no rituals, and no hierarchy providing guidance. Gnosticism and Gnosis teach you how to experience what lies at the core of our existence, how to understand and grasp what needs to be understood.
Gnosis also explains what "the saviour" means and what it is from which we must be saved. There is no form of power that can be exercised, as everything that could bring this about simply does not exist. A very simple example that illustrates this: Did Christ have a church to preach in? No, he thought it unnecessary—a meadow was much better! Why, then, are there so many churches? Did Christ ever say, "Kill in my name"? No, on the contrary, his words were, "No violence in my name!" Why, then, so many deaths in the name of God and the cross?
In short, Gnosticism opens doors that religions have always anxiously kept locked! Someone with Gnosis is a threat to all things related to religion—a danger that has been fought against with all possible means and continues to be fought against, except by a few who understand what Gnosis can achieve.
The Basis of Gnosticism: The first concept of Gnosis, which stands in direct opposition to religions, is the concept of origin. According to religions, the account in the Book of Genesis is the only version of creation that can be accepted. In Gnosticism, this is entirely different. In the beginning, there was a force field that existed, but it was unaware of its own existence. This is the first aeon. In the force field of consciousness, wisdom (Sophia), the second aeon, arose, giving consciousness the awareness of its existence. From the union of consciousness and the wisdom that gave awareness, the Word (Logos), the third aeon, emerged.
However, wisdom created its own mirror of creation (all elements possess creative power), but without the knowledge of the other aeons. The consort, being consciousness, had not given permission as spirit to do so. From Sophia, a malformed being was born, lacking consciousness or thought. This malformed being, resembling a dragon, was cast far away from her and banished from consciousness and Logos.
After numerous developments, the malformed being was imprisoned in what we know as the world—what some recognise as the fallen angel. This being could not create, certainly not anything with a pure soul. The fallen angel could not create functioning souls. The fallen angel rules over a soulless world and thus governs a dead creation; even humans are created from these archons. The fallen angel had archons (powers that followed him) who also could not create but could manufacture, though they could not imbue spirit, only a soul.
The soul in the first human was influenced by archontic settings, but the life spirit of consciousness and wisdom was absent. The intent was to build up archontic power and create a counterweight against the divine that had removed them from the Pleroma. Through their actions, the fallen angel and the archons had developed a certain power, and since they were creations of lower gods, the power of the fallen angel had to be broken. To achieve this, Sophia breathed spirit into the creations of the fallen angels and archons, allowing the soul, after the dissolution of the physical shell (death), to return to the Pleroma where the first three aeons resided and be added to what was the creative force of the first period.
The name given to the fallen angel is Jaldabaoth; the names and powers of the archons will be explained later. What is important to remember now is that a soul, even when placed by an archon into a physical body, is originally divine and arises from the sacred tripartite Pleroma. Through the infusion of spirit, the soul gains a chance to escape the archontic possessiveness. This illustrates where and how the core of the "spiritual war" is waged.
There is also a clear distinction made between good and bad forces. In Gnosticism, the fallen angel Jaldabaoth is regarded as the god of the Old Testament, a jealous god who demands sacrifices and, through his jealousy, tolerates no other gods beside him. The Old Testament is nothing new; it is a version of the old Jewish Torah, and the first part of the Bible of the Catholic Church is thus a version of a religious book from ancient Judaism. It is sometimes a very cruel book to read, and the god that reigns within is not exactly the forgiving god that Christ came to offer as a kind, merciful God who is love itself. This contradiction is a plausible reason to consider Gnosis as a revelation.
Christ explained such matters to his disciples, and it's no wonder that some did not understand. Christ spoke to them not as a human but as an emissary of the Pleroma, for the principle of unity—conscious consciousness and wisdom—brought forth the Word, or read as created. This means that the possibility exists that wisdom, consciousness, and thought as a whole can be taught in the meaning of that unified power through the Word—a Word that is a power in itself, born from consciousness and wisdom, can manifest in a physical body, known as the "Christ consciousness."
Anyone who follows the path can attain the power of this Christ consciousness. This allows a connection to be made with God or the Divine power from which we originate at any time, without interference from the archons. This clearly shows that no intermediary is needed to connect with the Divine, making churches and religions redundant. It is no wonder that the Roman Church and its affiliates persecuted Gnosticism with all available means.
It is demonstrated that what was imposed and considered obligatory at the time is a version of a mystery that was not fully revealed to the masses. The knowledge of this mystery was forbidden solely to maintain control—human control over the role of the hidden mystery in the worldly realm, with just enough power to the spiritual as was permitted and still is when religions are followed. Hence the rule: "Religion binds you, faith sets you free," for faith is essentially possessing knowledge of the Divine mystery.
Christ came to bring the message, known to all as the "joyful message." Christ was also given the name "the redeemer," but the reason for this came from the Roman Church with its doctrines and dogmas, wherein they told the story of what redemption was in their view. Gnosticism is thus not a religion but a knowledge applicable in daily life and, above all, an experience of being Christian. It concerns the acceptance of the Divine mystery of Christ and provides the original teachings of Christ.
There is a clarification of what good and dark forces are; this knowledge is ancient, much older than the existence of the Roman Church, and was also known to the Church Fathers. However, they decided not to make crucial information leading to the Christ consciousness available to the public but instead to declare it taboo.